Reference :
V-P-PH-E-01069
Date :
11/03/2020
Caption :
Manila. Tuberculosis has been present for many years in detention facilities in the Philippines, where the conditions are favorable to the spread of the disease. Lessons learned from fighting tuberculosis help in dealing with the pandemic of COVID-19 affecting detention facilities.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC website, article, 24.03.2020, extract
COVID-19: Lessons from Philippines jails show how to fight infectious coronavirus disease
As COVID-19 focuses the world’s attention on infectious diseases, we have our eyes on one of the most dangerous places for the spread of such outbreaks: prisons, where densely packed people and (often) limited access to health care make for a risky situation.
Overcrowding, poor ventilation and infrastructures, deficient health, hygiene and sanitation conditions favours the spread of infectious diseases – whether the novel coronavirus COVID-19 or tuberculosis (TB) which can rapidly affect a large number of people inside detention facilities. While COVID-19 is caused by a virus and TB by bacteria, both may have devastating effects on vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases.
TB, for example, is known to be 100 times more prevalent in detention facilities than in the community. And based on the World Prison Brief database, the Philippines was ranked highest in the world in jail occupancy rate in their latest report. As of 19 March 2020, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the congestion rate in their 467 jails is at 534 per cent.
Overcrowding has been a challenge for many years inside Philippines jails. (…)
Good nutrition is especially important in preventing TB, but also during the treatment course. Early detection is also key in successfully treating an inmate with TB and lowering the risk of the disease's spread. "The infirmary supplied us with all the needed medicines in the six months of treatment. But I still ask my mother to bring me fruits and vitamins so I will not get TB again. Now inside our dorm, whenever I notice someone with TB symptoms – loss of appetite, non-stop coughing – I ask them, can you still endure it? I accompany them. I tell them, eat as much as
you can. Drink a lot of water, if possible, more than seven glasses a day." - " Mike", an inmate who was treated for TB at the Calamba infirmary in 2014, and has been cured since. (...)
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4691x3134
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
